Black Uniform, Pink Blossom
by KatLady86
Summary: Sequel to Lady Starfarer. Back at Mina's apartment, the pilots get some answers to terrible questions and Heero is asked to carry out an impossible favor...
1. Stories Through My Head

Kuroi Fuku, Momoiro Hana (Black Uniform, Pink Blossom)  
Sequel to Lady Starfarer  
Chapter 1: Stories Through My Head  
  
The great ballroom on the Preventer base was decorated lavishly for the masquerade. As evening fell, guests began to filter in; five of which were careful to enter spaced apart. Halfway through the evening, a young woman in a blue dress stepped casually up to a young man by the punch bowl.   
"Well, Heero," she whispered. "Aren't you even going to ask me to dance?"  
Heero was thankful for the mask, because his usual impassive features formed an expression of utter shock. "How did you know?", he had to ask.  
The young woman smiled. "After all this time, Heero, I can find you no matter what you cover your face with. Now…about that dance…"  
Heero turned to Relena and offered her his hand. She smiled, accepted it, and the pair slid gracefully onto the dance floor.   
As the first notes of the waltz began to take shape in the air, Trowa and Quatre looked nervously at each other. They would look at the other for a minute or so, then glance away, then back. Courage to ask someone to dance, it seemed, didn't come near as easily as the courage to carry out a suicide mission.   
"Quatre, would you - ?", Trowa asked, as Quatre began, "Trowa, would you -?"  
They were silent for another moment, until, simultaneously, they replied, "Yes." Grinning like the fools they felt themselves to be, the pair stepped out onto the polished marble tiles.   
Duo glided around the room with Hilde, while Sally dragged Wufei from his chair by the wall and out with the rest of the dancers.  
While everyone was preoccupied with the waltz, another young woman sneaked in through the door. Her dress was a gorgeous teal that flashed copper when she moved. Her golden hair was stacked neatly on top of her head; what appeared to strands of silver wrapped around it, and were held in place by a silver hair comb. Her mask was slender. It was teal, like her dress, with small silver stars glittering across it; there were seven, three on each end and one in the center between her eyebrows.   
She moved slowly around the dance floor, eyeing five people in particular. As the waltz faded, she came to a decision and strode to the center of the dance floor, looking for a partner. Five people turned to face her, certain they'd seen her somewhere before.   
Heero blinked repeatedly, trying to force a memory to surface. Relena mistook the reason he stared and whispered in his ear, "Go on, Heero. Dance with her. Listen, the next song is starting and she doesn't have a partner. Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to get jealous. Go on!" She shoved him gently, and he went forward, offering his hand to the newly arrived young woman. She took his hand, smiling.   
The next song began, a much faster tune, and she spun him around with startling speed. He caught on quickly, regaining control and leading them in a set of complex spins and turns. The first verse hadn't yet completed, when Duo cut in, determined to outdo Heero. The girl smiled and shook her head, as though she understood this all too well. At the end of the second verse, Quatre slid in and demonstrated his skill as a dancer, desperate like the rest of them to remember who this young woman was.   
The third verse was drifting off, leaving only the soft, barely audible ending of the melody. As Quatre stepped aside and the girl prepared to leave, something clicked in Trowa's mind. He moved gently into her path and took her hand, resolving to dance out the last with her and see if his theory was true. Something glittered in the eyes behind the teal mask, joy perhaps. They resumed her place on the floor, dancing slowly back and forth across one patch of tiles as the music faded away.   
He whispered something in her ear, to which she laughed and whispered something back. They exchanged several more hushed sentences before the tune was completely gone. After it was, Trowa kissed the back of her hand. She smiled, blushing slightly, and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you soon," she promised, and discreetly left the party.   
As soon as she was gone, Trowa and the other pilots gathered at the back wall, where they would not be disturbed. "What made you decide to dance with her?", Quatre asked, certain Trowa knew the girl's identity.   
"I thought I figured it out," he replied, "and I was right. I know who she is."  
"And?", Duo pressed, eager for the answer.  
"Didn't you see it?", Trowa demanded. "That thing in her hair? It was a silver chain…and a pendant. A star within a circle. Now…you tell me who she is."  
Everyone else remained silent, letting the words replay endlessly in their heads. There was only one person like that in all the world…and it had been a year since they'd last laid eyes on her.   
"So…she's back," Heero murmured. "I wondered how long it would take her."  
"I…somehow I knew she'd return soon," Quatre said softly. "It's part of who she is. She can't stay away."  
"Yes…that's true," Heero admitted. "But I know Minami Yoshiro, and if she's back…it's for a reason."  
  
It was shocking. The Gundams had gone out on what was to be a brief, skirting appraisal of the Kuro Senshi base and its forces. The ambush was swift and total. The Kuro Senshi troops moved with speed unmatched by any the Gundam pilots had yet faced. They seemed to know the weaknesses of every suit and were meticulous in their exploitation of them. One by one, the suits attempted a retreat and, one by one, they were shot down. The five prisoners were taken to the main control room, handcuffed, and lined against one wall.  
"Prisoners secured, Lieutenant Yoshi," said a cadet with a smart salute. "Awaiting your orders, sir."  
Though all the face was not clear, it was obvious enough that Lieutenant Yoshi was smiling. "Thank you, cadet. You can either return to your usual detail…or you can stay and watch the festivities. Your choice, cadet."  
The young man beamed. "I…Thank you, Lieutenant! I believe I'll take you up on your offer and stay here, if it's not an inconvenience, sir."  
The higher ranking officer chuckled. "If it was an inconvenience, cadet, I wouldn't have offered it to you. Stand over there and you should have a very nice view."  
The cadet nodded and scrambled to the assigned plot of wall, eager and waiting. The lieutenant, on the other hand, paced casually in his patch of shadow. "Well, now," he murmured. "After all this time, I'm the one who manages to capture the Gundam pilots. General Tajari is likely to promote me all the way to Colonel, I should think. Although…I suppose I had a bit of an unfair advantage…superior military forces…superior strategists…and something else…which you will recognize well, once you see it. I think…I'll show you now."  
Lieutenant Yoshi stepped from his square of shadow into a square of light. The pilots gasped. The lieutenant had long dark blond hair, with lighter blond streaks. It was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck…The lieutenant's eyes…were deep blue with teal green flecks and spots…Her, not his, black uniform fit her like a glove, the silver piping falling just where it was supposed to. She removed her cap and set it down on the desk before her that was covered in maps and plots for other stratagems.   
"Hello, gentlemen," she whispered. "I promised you I'd see you soon, and I always keep my promises."  
"Minami…" Heero found it hard to equate a fellow agent with this newest faction. "Is that you?"  
She smiled wryly. "I suppose, Heero…I suppose." Her eyes were harder now, almost an icy glacier color, rather than the gentle sapphire and turquoise from their training days. She stood ramrod straight, gaze unwavering. The smile that graced her lips was not comforting in the least.   
"Lieutenant Yoshi," called a voice and another lieutenant strode up. Minami turned to face him.  
"Hello, Lieutenant Shimura," she said, her obvious dislike for Shimura glittering in her eyes. "What brings you here? Oh…did you wish to see my little gift to the General?"  
"I have some questions about your 'little gift'," Shimura spat out. "I think you are far too familiar with these prisoners. Your capture of them was too easy. You must know some things very intimate about them, to be able to utilize their weak points so well. It is my feeling that you, Lieutenant Yoshi, are a traitor and that all this is nothing more than some scheme to bring down the Kuro Senshi from the inside!"  
Minami looked aghast. "How dare you!", she screamed. "How dare you accuse me of being a traitor, that I would deride the great General Tajari and all her Kuro Senshi!"  
"Did she just say 'her'?", Duo whispered. "You mean to tell me that this kick-ass General Tajari is a woman?"  
"I'm as shocked as you are," Wufei whispered back.  
"You want proof of my loyalty?!", Minami screeched. "Is that it?"  
"Yes!", Shimura fired back. "I want proof! Show me and all the Senshi assembled here that these prisoners mean nothing to you, except as tribute to the General!"  
"Fine." Minami's voice was low and cold, sending icicles down the spine of everyone in the room; even Lieutenant Shimura was not immune. "Here is your proof."   
With no further words, she drew the pistol from her hip holster, removed the safety, aimed and fired.   
  
*****  
And just when you were glad I finally posted this thing...Hehe, always did love a good cliffhanger. Hey, so I get death threats for ending it on this note. It's worth it. Keep checking back, part two will be up shortly.  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/ 


	2. The Cracks You Left Behind

Kuroi Fuku, Momoiro Hana (Black Uniform, Pink Blossom)  
Sequel to Lady Starfarer  
Chapter 2: The Cracks You Left Behind  
  
Heero slammed into the wall with a sickening thud. He put one hand to his right shoulder, staring at his fingers in amazement as they came away wet and red. His usual firm mask seemed to have melted down onto the floor. Still gazing at his hand in shock, he slid down the wall to collapse in disbelief.   
"Heero!", Duo cried. He ran over to his friend, kneeling beside him. While he propped Heero up as best he could with the handcuffs on, Duo glared daggers at Minami. "Damn you!", he yelled. "Damn you to Hell, you selfish, arrogant bitch!"  
In a heartbeat, Minami was in front of him. Her hands wrapped tightly around his collar as she slammed him to the wall. "What did you say?", she hissed, tightening her grip.   
"Damn you, bitch," Duo choked out, speaking made difficult by Minami's constricting hold at his throat.  
"That's what I thought you said," she replied. Releasing his collar with one hand, she belted him hard in the stomach. Duo gasped for air and dropped to the ground. She gave him a swift kick, then marched over to Lieutenant Shimura.   
"Are you happy now?", she demanded. "I've had to go and damage the General's present because of you. I very much doubt she'll be please when she hears of this."  
Shimura was sweating nervously. Minami turned to the cadet, frozen against the opposite wall. "You, there," she ordered. He scuttled up hurriedly, saluting with a shaking hand. "Go get the medical team. See to it that the GSW boy is taken to the infirmary. Have the medics patch him up just enough that he doesn't die, then send him to the cell where we will be placing the rest."  
"Um...ex-excuse me, sir," the cadet began, voice trembling, "but...what is a GSW?"  
"Gunshot wound," Minami answered snippily. "Don't they teach cadets anything anymore? Think you can carry out my orders?"  
"Yes, sir!" The cadet saluted again, his hand no longer shaking, and sprinted off to get the medical team.  
"Um…Lieutenant Yoshi? Shouldn't one of them be taken in for interrogation?" Lieutenant Shimura, it seemed, had recovered slightly.  
Minami thought a moment. "I suppose. Which one, though? Since I'm in a sporting mood…I'll let you pick."  
Shimura blinked; obviously this was not the reply he'd expected. "Hm…I think…that one." He pointed to Trowa.   
Minami shrugged. "Fine with me. I'll take him to interrogation as soon as we're done in the prep room." Grabbing Trowa by the handcuffs, she yanked him after her as the medical team arrived with a stretcher for Heero.  
Minami led him into a small room down the hall. She seated him in the only chair in the room and unlocked his handcuffs. Tossing the cuffs on a table, she strapped his wrists to the arms of the chair and his ankles to the legs. Opening a small box on the table, she withdrew a syringe. Flicking the side with her fingernail, a brief stream of fluid shot out the needle.   
"Do you know what this is?", she asked, holding it up to the light. Trowa shook his head. "This is a highly developed toxin. Extremely deadly and, when coupled with torture, a very effective truth serum. But," she added, "no torture, and it's just a very slow poison. As far as I know, there is no antidote."  
"Why are you doing this?", Trowa whispered. "What have you done, Mina-chan?"  
At the sound of the familiar nickname, she froze. Turning to face him, he saw tears in her eyes. "I…I don't know, Trowa…It…it was all supposed to be a perfect plan…but now…it's gone to Hell in a hand basket…and I can't get it back…I'm not proud of what I've done, Trowa…I hate myself for it all…but…it was supposed to work out…it was…Forgive me, Trowa. Ask the others to forgive me, too….and remember this…it's very important…The answers are under Duo's collar…only you'd better hurry…or it won't matter…"   
Rolling up her sleeve, she cleaned a place on her upper arm with a bit of gauze from the box. Unflinching, she pressed the needle to her skin and thumbed the plunger down. Satisfied, she dropped the syringe and the gauze back into the box. Minami rolled down her sleeve and re-buttoned it. Smoothing her uniform shirt, she undid the straps that kept Trowa in the chair. She clipped the handcuffs around his wrists and began to lead him out of the room.  
"You…" Trowa murmured. "You…injected yourself…with that poison…Are you going to die, Mina-chan?"  
Minami ignored his question and said, very softly, "They'll hurt you Trowa. Interrogation is really just torture…but you don't have the poison…You're strong and you won't tell them anything. Oh…they'll hurt you, though…They will hurt you…but you'll survive…Above all, remember Duo's collar."  
By this time, they had reached the interrogation room. "Forgive me, Trowa. I pray I may someday atone for what I've done." The door opened and someone inside took Trowa's handcuffs and pulled him in. The door clicked shut and Minami heard the sound of a bolt sliding home. She stood for a few minutes outside the door, as though waiting for something. When the familiar sounds of interrogation began, she spun away and stalked down the halls. Reaching her quarters, she locked the door behind her and flopped onto her bunk. Tears coursing down her face, she screamed into her pillow.  
  
"Trowa!", Quatre screamed and threw himself against the door. "Trowa!!" He pounded on it with his handcuffed fists, until they began to bleed. Tears ran from his eyes and down his cheeks. "Trowa!!!" He continued to beat on the door until Duo and Wufei managed to drag him away from it. Heero was sitting morosely in the corner, nursing his wound.  
Quatre dropped to his knees in the center of the room, weeping. "They're killing him," he said between sobs. "They're killing him, and there's not a thing we can do about it. I…I…If you left me alone with Mina for five minutes…she'd be so dead you wouldn't recognize her."  
Duo and Wufei looked at each other, shudders running down their spines. Somehow, such harsh words coming from the gentle blonde were all the more frightening.  
"Something's wrong," Heero said softly, the first words he'd spoken since his return from the infirmary. "Something is very wrong."  
"No kidding!", Quatre snapped, voice tight. "The girl we thought was our friend betrayed us! She's shot you, beat-up Duo, and God only knows what she's done to Trowa!" The name had barely passed his lips when he began to sob again.   
Suddenly, he stopped crying and sat straight up, as though someone had flicked a switch. He pressed one ear to the door, listening intently. "Someone's coming!", he whispered, and backed away from the door; Heero's barely audible "That's not what I meant" lost in the other boy's footfalls.  
The door slid aside and someone pushed Trowa into the room. He collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. The door closed and Quatre hurried over to him. With no hesitation, he began to stroke the other boy's hair comfortingly.  
"It's okay, Trowa," he murmured. "It's okay."  
"It's not okay!", Trowa forced out. "It's not!"  
"I know," Quatre said, the anger in his voice apparent. "We all trusted Mina too, and now she's gone and - "  
"No!" Trowa had found his voice, and he intended to use it. "She saved me!"  
"Wha…What did you say?", Quatre asked, voice shaky.   
Trowa poured out the story of what Mina had said in the prep room, choking up when he came to where she used the syringe on herself. "They may have tortured me," he finished, "but she's the one that's going to die!"  
"Oh my God," Quatre whispered.  
Duo crossed himself and murmured, "Kyrie eleison."  
Wufei could only looked stunned.  
"I told you something was wrong," Heero said softly, no hint of victory in his voice.  
Trowa jerked bolt upright, remembrance flashing across his features. "Duo!", he yelped, running to the other boy. Duo looked scared for a moment as Trowa nearly pinned him to the wall. Trowa's fingers flashed under his fellow pilot's collar, triumph in his eyes as he retrieved a small square of white paper. "Just where she said it would be."  
Seating himself in the center of the room, he spread the piece of paper out neatly. "It's a note," he said as the other pilots gathered around. Very slowly, Trowa began to read it aloud.  
  
"Dear guys,  
  
Forgive me for what I've done. I don't know if it could be helped or not.  
It was just what I saw at the time as an option. Again, I beg your forgiveness.  
Approximately five minutes after Trowa's return is the scheduled guard change.  
I will see to it that the new guards are detained for exactly one minute and thirty   
seconds. Make the most of it, as a faulty computer code will unlock your cell   
door at this time. Turn right out of your cell and head straight down the hallway.  
At the end of the hall is the hanger where your Gundams are; the majority of   
repairs should be completed The only other people in there will be a handful   
of techs. I'm sure you can handle it from there. Enclosed are Duo's lock picks,   
confiscated from his hair upon arrival. They should do a neat job on the handcuffs.   
I will see you soon, I promise. Again, my friends, forgive me.  
  
All my love always,  
Minami Kamikaze Yoshiro."  
  
Everyone was silent, until Heero spoke. "How long has it been since Trowa got back?"  
Wufei thought a moment. "Three minutes at the very most."  
Heero nodded. "Duo, here's your lock picks. We're getting out."  
"What if it's a trap?", Duo asked.  
Heero shrugged. "Then, what? We get chucked back in the cell? Big damn deal. I say we try this. What do the rest of you think?"  
"We go," Wufei said, voice firm.  
"We…we go," Quatre said, wiping something from his eyes.  
"I guess I can't really argue," Duo admitted. "We go."  
All eyes turned to Trowa. "We go, because that what she wants. I'm not about to let what she's done go to waste."  
The five nodded.  
  
General Tajari pressed a button on her desk, opening a comm link with the small room outside her office. "Send in Lieutenant Yoshi."  
"Yes, sir," the officer on the other end replied, saluting briskly.   
Closing the comm link, Tajari looked into a mirror on the wall beside her desk. She studied her close cropped black hair, not a strand out of place. Her eyes were crystal blue and unwavering; they burned with sapphire flames. She smiled at her reflection and wondered if he was as pleased with her as she hoped he was.  
A few moments later, the door to Tajari's office opened and Lieutenant Yoshi stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She saluted, dropped her hand at the General's nod, and asked, "You wanted to see me, sir?"  
"Yes…" The general paused. "Do you know what they call me?"  
"The Cherry Blossom General, I believe, sir."  
"Do you know why they call me that?"  
"No, sir, I don't."  
"It's all right. Hardly anyone does…My first name, lieutenant, is Akebono, after the kind of cherry tree. Many years ago, someone told me that someday I would be his Cherry Blossom General. Do you have any idea who that person was?"  
"No, sir."  
"It's all right. No one does, save myself, though if I said the name you'd know it in an instant."  
"If you don't mind my asking, sir, who was that person?"  
Akebono Tajari looked at Minami with something shining in her eyes. "His name was Treize Khushranada."  
Minami's gasp was very low and soft; she wasn't certain the general had heard. "Oh God," she whispered.  
Akebono mistook the words for something they were not. "I know how you feel. I felt like the most important person alive, because I had a higher calling and his name was Treize Khushranada. You, too, have a higher calling and are prepared to sacrifice yourself for such."  
"Forgive me, sir, but I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about." Mina's mind raced. *Oh, God!*, she thought. *There aren't any cameras in the prep room and there aren't any bugs, either. How could she know? How the hell could she know?!?*  
"Don't worry so, Yoshi," Akebono chuckled. "I'm not saying a damn thing to anyone else. By the way…it seems that my present has escaped. You know anything about this, Yoshi?"  
Minami shook her head. "No, sir. All I know is that the guards who were supposed to be in front of their cell will be on KP duty for a year…as soon as they get out of the infirmary, that is."  
The general chuckled. "Nice work, Yoshi. Very nice work indeed. Now…before I let you go, is there anything you want to tell me?"  
Minami answered without hesitation. "Yes, sir. I've want to tell you that before I came to your office, I was turning in my resignation."  
"Resignation? You don't resign from the military!" The tilt to Akebono's eyes showed that she was joking with the younger officer.   
"Call it what you will, sir," Mina said, "but I am leaving the Kuro Senshi."  
"May I ask why?" The was no malice in Akebono's words, only a curious, questioning tone.  
"There are…important matters of family that have arisen recently. I cannot deal with them and with being a Kuro Senshi at the same time. Something has to give…and family always comes first. I hope you will understand."  
General Tajari nodded. "I understand perfectly. Well, then, Lieutenant Yoshi, I wish you the best in all your endeavors. God-speed to you, Yoshi."  
"Thank you, General." Minami saluted to her for the final time, then left the office.  
"Thank you, Lieutenant." The words were soft; none other than the general knew that something had even been said.  
  
*****  
Well, here we go again. Mina's hardly in prime condition, the boys are escaping, and you finally get to meet General Akebono Tajari. (If you're wondering, the "j" in her name is pronounced like an "h".) I'm having fun with Akebono, so you can be sure she'll show up more in the future.  
Anybody notice my song thing yet? Both this chapter and the first are titled after snippets of song lyrics. If you can guess correctly either this chapter or the first's songs, you win something swell. (Actually, it's just an e-mailed copy of the third chapter before I post in on FF.net, but that's still pretty cool.) I'll be waiting for your guesses!  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/ 


	3. This Is Not Her Fault

Kuroi Fuku, Momoiro Hana (Black Uniform, Pink Blossom)  
Sequel to Lady Starfarer  
Chapter 3: This Is Not Her Fault  
  
Minami sat in one of her armchairs, eyeing the bottle on the coffee table. A crazy-looking, pink hared woman stared back at her from the label, surrounded by the words "Little Washu's Special Sake". Smiling at the woman, Mina refilled the sake cup on the table and raised it high. "To retirement," she grinned, and downed it in one gulp.   
She'd changed out of her uniform, pulled on a T-shirt and shorts, and fed the uniform to the incinerator. After that, she had removed the sake bottle and cup from a cabinet where they'd been hidden for God only knew how long. The bottle had been full; it was now half gone. It helped take the edge off the fact that death was easily standing behind her chair.   
Suddenly, Mina heard the sound of the apartment doorknob rattling. Drunken stupor vanished, she drew her gun and leveled it on the arm of the chair. She had a clear line of sight at whoever her visitor was; they'd be dead before they saw her sitting down. The door swung open cautiously, and her uninvited guest stepped into the room.   
"Trowa?!" She dropped the gun and ran over to him, as he shut the door. After hugging him loosely, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "How are you holding up?", she asked, running her finger across a bandage near his eyebrow.  
"Okay," he said, shrugging slightly.   
"How did you get in here?", she demanded, teasingly.  
Trowa held something up, a sheepish blush rising slightly in his cheeks. "I…borrowed Duo's lock picks."  
"Does he know you borrowed them?"  
"Um…he'll figure it out…eventually…"  
Mina laughed. "Come on, Trowa. Have a seat. Join me for a cup of sake?"  
"What the hell."  
He sat down in the opposite armchair, while Mina searched for the other sake cup. He noticed the half-empty bottle.  
"How much sake did you have in that thing when you started?", he asked, almost nervously.  
"It was a full bottle…What? You afraid I'm gonna ruin my liver or something?", Mina called from the kitchen.   
"No…just wondering…Mina, was that true what you said? About that shit in the syringe…it being deadly…no antidote…" His voice faded.  
Minami returned from the kitchen with the other cup. "Yeah, Trowa. It was all the truth, what I told you. I meant every word I said."  
"You're not…You don't have any regrets?", he wondered out loud, taking the cup from her as she filled it.  
"Nope, not a one. I figure it just sped up what the wars have been trying to do to me since I was born." She resumed her seat and sipped at her drink, a contented smile spreading over her features. "Mmm…good stuff…"  
Trowa took a drink of his, nodding his agreement. "Very good stuff. I know this seems a little redundant…but are you sure about all this?"  
Mina looked met his eyes over the rim of the sake cup. "Very sure."  
Trowa nodded, and refilled his drink.  
They sat there for a few minutes, only moving to pour more sake into their cups. They had just finished the bottle, when their was a pounding on the apartment door. Mina got up and looked out the peephole. She turned back to Trowa, who looked up, rather unconcerned. "It's the guys," she said. "And Duo looks rather peeved."  
Trowa shrugged. "I guess you should let them in, then."  
Mina smothered a hiccup. "Guess we'll need another bottle."  
Trowa nodded. "And more cups."  
  
The four newly arrived pilots sat or stood as it pleased them, in various states of sullen. Trowa and Mina remained in their armchairs, studying them casually. Mina had searched the kitchen from floor to ceiling, but there was not a second bottle of sake in the house. It didn't really matter, Mina pointed out, because there weren't any more sake cups, either.  
"So…what is it you guys want, anyway?", Mina asked, cocking her head to one side. "You come barging up here and bang on the door…only to come inside and not say anything. You've got something to say…and I want to hear it."  
They hesitated. "You want to know why, don't you," Trowa said. It was not a question.  
"Yes," Quatre said, voice tight. "I want to know why you did what you did to all of us."  
Mina looked at him with the eyes of someone who has seen more than they ever wanted to see. "I did it because I wanted to see what they were doing. I wanted to know what they were planning. The only way I could to that was by joining their ranks. I didn't like it, so don't you even start about that. I did things in there that I know I'm gonna burn in Hell for. They are stronger than you could ever know. Tajari is a military genius. Did you know she was one of Trieze's very first Specials? She's no fool; the Kuro Senshi are ridiculously powerful and, what's worse, they hide it well. They hide it so well, hardly anyone knows they even exist. They could destroy everything by tomorrow morning and we wouldn't know it until we were sitting on our asses in the middle of the wreckage. These are people to be afraid of."  
"Are you still working for them?", Heero asked.   
She shook her head. "No. I resigned this afternoon, not too long after you escaped."  
"Your uniforms?"  
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."  
"You burned them?"  
"Yeah…what else was I ever going to do with them?"  
"I don't know."  
"Anything else?"  
"You said…Tajari…What…what about her?"  
Minami smiled. "General Tajari is the Kuro Senshi's most closely guarded secret. Her first name, Akebono, earned her the nickname 'the Cherry Blossom General'. She was one of Treize Khushranada's original Specials, and apparently one of his favorites. She's a very soft-spoken woman, but a genius when it comes to military strategy. None of her underlings, not even her highest ranking officers, know at all the details to an invasion plan. Everyone doesn't know everyone else's part until the invasion is underway."  
Heero nodded appreciatively. "You're right, she is smart. Must have been interesting working for her."  
Minami's mouth quirked at the corners. "You have no idea, Heero. You have no idea."  
"So this General Tajari is a woman?!", Wufei demanded.  
"Yes, Wufei. The general Tajari is a woman. Somehow I knew you'd find that hard to stomach." Duo snickered at her words. "Again…is there anything else?"  
"Not that I can think of," Heero said, sweeping the other pilots with his gaze.   
"Then…not to sound rude…but would you mind leaving? I'm feeling kinda wiped…and I'd like to rest…"  
"No problem," Trowa said, rising from his chair. He walked to the door and stood there expectantly as the other four young men moved slowly to the exit.   
"Good-bye, guys," Mina smiled; then, looking as though she remembered something, got up and called to Heero from the doorway.  
"What is it?", he asked.   
"Heero…It's…over the next few days…it's gonna get really bad…" Mina began, stumbling over the words. "I want you…to keep this for me…and use it when you think you should. I trust your judgment." She pressed a small gun into his hands. "You know…what I'm asking you to use it for…who I'm asking you to use it on…"  
He nodded. "I understand…I'm not turning you down…by why can't you…do this yourself?"  
"Because…I don't think…that when it comes down to the time…I'll have the strength…or the stability…to do it right…I…You're the only one…who would do this if I asked…I…thank you, Heero."  
"Don't thank me, Mina. Please…don't thank me."  
  
******  
Told ya you'd hate my cliffhangers.   
Anybody got any song guesses for this one? This one's a bit harder, 'cause it's part of a longer line, but the song is appropriate given the chapter. (Just so ya know, I'm gonna post all the answers to the chapters in the final chapter, along with the names of those that guess correctly.)  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/ 


End file.
